A Bundle of Wonder Or So I Hope
by Deadly Royal Prince
Summary: Naruto comes across an abandoned baby in an alleyway. Not too good of a summary but I tried. Don't know what lables to put yet I'm still working on it. Pairing not yet chosen. YOAI
1. Prologue

Kent: I know this chapter is pretty short but I want to make sure that people actually like it before I get too far into this story. Another thing . . . If you would please help me choose someone for Naruto to be with it would help alot because currently it is a three-way tie between Gaara, Sasuke, and Neji. However, if you have read my profile then you know that I am pretty open to anything you guys can come up with. (lol) Besides, my friends chose those particular three but I am up to any suggestions and the one with the most votes will be the winner. Thank you so much for helping.

areyouready...getset...GO!!

Prologue

A faint cry could be heard through the empty streets of Konoha. Down an alleyway two figures could be seen hovering over a small bundle made of an old torn green shirt.

"Could you shut that thing up already!" The taller figure demanded his voice urgent.

"I've tried, Kosuke, but it won't listen to me!" The other sobbed, "Shut up damnit!" The cry became louder as the figure punched the small bundle before him.

"Stop you'll only make it cry more." Kosuke stated calmly before grabbing the bundle and tossing it into a nearby trashcan. "Let's go, BEFORE someone hears it. OK, Nataku?" Nataku nodded rubbing his eyes to stop the tears and in a blink they both disappeared into the night.

"Sakura, my love please stop crying--" A blond cried out as he was tossing and turning in his pale sheets. Suddenly he bolted up in his bed yelling, "CRYING! Sakura doesn't CRY! She just get's mad and hits you for being stupid!" He listened for a moment and hearing nothing he got up and draggeed himself into the kitchen for a glass of water. "Ugh! My stupid imagination is playing tricks on me again." Frustrated he grabbed the carton of pure water from his fridge and yanked the lid off. Raising the carton up to his lips he thought, 'That's the last time I'm going to eat fried tofu and bacon before bed-'

"Could you shut that thing up already!"

"What the-"

"I've tried, Kosuke, but it won't listen to me! Shut up damnit!"

"-HEll!?" Not even a minute later crying started getting louder and louder. The blond listened carefully and could hear it come from the alley right by his apartment complex. His blue eyes went wide and he ran out to retrieve the crying-whatever it was- and hopefully calm it down. 'Man, I sure hope that whatever is crying is OK.' The boy passed by more doors than he could count in his current state of worry before he finally reached the entrance to the alley. Slowing down he folloed the invasive noise until he ventured upon a small green bundle thatlooked like it was torn and had blood scattered on it in one of the nearby trashcans. When the bundle moved the boy jumped back in suprise. 'Well, whatever it is it's alive.' Cautiously he moved forward once again to inspect the strange moving bundle.

"OH MY GOD!! It's a BABY!!" HE cried out after moving part of the shirt out of the way. Said baby calmed down slightly and looked at him curiously. "Hello, little one, where are your parents?" He cooed as he removed the rest of the shirt and uncovered a few small bruises and a newly made rather large one on it's right side. Looking at it a bit more he noticed a few scratches here and there and-

"Oh! You're a GIRL BABY! Well, I'm gonna take you to Tsunade-baasan right now so that she can fix you all up and make you as good as new." He picked up the baby as carrefully a he could and started sprinting in the direction of the large building in the middle of the village.

'I wonder who Kosuke is? I bet if I find him then I'll find out exactly what happened here.' He looked down at the child in his arms and smiled.

Kent: I hope you guys liked it so far and I will continue and update ASAP if you guys liked it. Just remember that I am really REALLY lazy so it might take a while. Lol

Plus, for those of you who have seen this story on I am the author I just go by two different names. lol


	2. A Baby By Any Other Name

Kent: Yo! My wonderful readers! How I love reviews and knowing just how much you guys like my story. This whole plot has been running around in my head for YEARS so I finally decided to write it out before I went crazy. Lol

The long awaited update is finally here:

Chapter 1

A Baby By Any Other Name

"Baa-chan! Baa-chan! Help! Now! Urgent!" The blond ran through the dark  
almost eerie curved halls of the Hokage Tower; light only streaming through  
from a few randomly placed windows. As he slid to a halt, large double doors  
came into view. Looking down at the bundle in his arms he sighed. "Why did  
this have to happen to you, little one? I promise you now that I will always  
be there for you and I will not allow that to happen to you again; for as  
long as I live I will protect you… Wow. That sounded like something right  
out of a play." Shaking his head softly he looked down once again and stared  
into eyes that were almost a complete reflection of his own. The only  
difference would be that they had innocence spilling out everywhere, whereas  
his had lived and seen too much already to still be that way. Quietly he  
pushed open one of the large doors with one arm and the baby cradled gently  
in the other. Staring across the room he spotted a long desk at which a  
bottle of sake rested beside an unconscious blond woman sprawled across said  
desk.

"Wake up damnit! This is no time for your beauty sleep Baa-chan!" The  
blond growled lightly as to not awaken the child in his arms. Sighing he  
strolled cautiously around the desk and leaned down by the woman until his  
warm breath ghosted across her ear. "BAA-CHAN!!" He yelled out. After which  
he was on the verge of laughing maniacally when the woman woke up and  
punched the desk in half.

"Gaki! I told you NOT to call me THAT!!" She shrieked, "I've been working  
hard and I need my rest!"

"Stop yelling, Baa-chan, you'll wake her." The blond teen glared at her  
ferociously, remarkably resembling an angry fox.

"Her?" Tsunade looked at him incredulously before she caught site of the  
small infant cradled in his arms protectively. "Naruto, why EXACTLY do you  
have a baby?" She sight after he just shrugged and nonchalantly told her  
that he found her in an alley. Rubbing her temples to soothe her nerves she  
finally sighed. "OK. First thing tomorrow we'll take her to a shelter and-"

"NO! We won't take her to a shelter. I would really like to keep her; at  
least until we find a nice family for her to go to." He glared at her once  
again just daring her to object.

"Naruto, you can barely take care of yourself. How exactly are you planning on caring for another being? On of which I might add is incapable of practically ANYTHING at all other than sleeping, drooling, and other disgusting baby stuff?!" Tsunade sighed and tried to calm down before letting her anger get the best of her. "I know you mean the best but I don't believe that you are ready for this kind of responsibility yet. There are many nice families here in Konoha that-"

"I already said, I'm keeping her! And that's FINAL!!"

Getting irritated from his constant interruptions she glared back at him with her hands on her hips. "Why did you bring her here if you didn't need my help?"

"But I do need it."

"With?"

"Well, I kinda . . . um . . . needed you to heal her." His glare had  
disappeared and now he looked as if he was going to burst into tears any  
minute now. He slowly began to remove the torn shirt from around the small  
body revealing many injuries.

Tsunade was stunned. Her brown eyes widened and her eyebrows ran up her  
forehead and into her hairline. She stood there gaping until she could  
finally speak again and said the only coherent thing in her head. "How?"

"I really don't know . . ." He held out his arms and gently set the baby  
down onto the small futon in front of the remains that used to be a very  
sturdy desk. "But once I find out rest assured that Naruto Uzumaki will  
bring down the bad guys!" To prove his point he flexed his arms and admired  
his muscles. Tsunade shook her head gently to clear the fog from her mind  
and set to work on healing the wounds.

"Have you thought of a name for her yet?" She asked quietly.

"No, not really. I almost had a nervous breakdown just trying to get her  
here."

"Well, you really ought to start thinking of one soon if you want to keep  
her."

He sighed softly and began to think, "Hm . . . well . . . I want to name  
her something unique, something that will stand out as if it is only hers .  
. . Something with a 'z'." He smiled brightly at that last statement.

"A 'z'? Why 'z'?"

"I like the letter and it stands out so . . . yeah . . ." He mumbled.

"Ok well there're names like . . . let's see . . . Zora . . . or . . .  
Zayn . . . or Ziana . . . or . . . um-"

"Zaliya!"

"What?"

"Zaliya . . . I've decided I want to name her Zaliya." He smiled down  
sweetly at the now healed infant before him and gently picked her up and  
cradled her in his arms.

"Zaliya . . That's a cute name. Now, off with you and come by every now  
and then with her so I know how she's doing for the next few days, OK?"

Naruto smiled at her brightly, turned around and walked towards the door.  
Once there he turned around once more. " Um… Baa-chan?"

"Yes Naruto?"

"Um . . . well . . . I was wondering . . . what do babies eat?"

Tsunade smiled brightly and chuckled a bit before responding. "Babies only  
drink warm milk for awhile until their stomachs are able to hold other  
things such as oats, like oatmeal for instance, and mashed fruits and  
vegetables. However, the milk that they drink isn't ordinary milk and under  
no circumstances can anything she eats be rotten, spoiled, or expired. OK?"

"Oh . . . um . . . Baa-chan? Um . . . There's kinda . . . a problem . . ."

"Yes?" She urged gently noticing his inner turmoil, "Well, what is it?"

" Well . . . um . . . it's kinda . . . it's just that . . . the stores and  
shops . . ."

"What about them? She asked narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Well . . . they don't EXACTLY . . . ever sell me anything fresh . . . or  
non-expired . . . that's why I eat at Ichiraiku's all the time . . . it's  
the only place in town . . . that doesn't" A faint blush appeared of his  
cheeks after his little confession.

"Don't worry about that for now; just head to the store at dawn and buy  
whatever you need and make sure to buy the milk Zaliya needs ok? It's not  
just regular milk; if you have to you can ask Sakura or Ino for help with  
it."

He smiled at her once again and this time left the room completely.

After she was sure he was gone she called out "Shikaku!"

Not even a second later a man with dark brown hair pulled back into a high  
ponytail and small scares on his face appeared seemingly out of nowhere.  
"Yes, Lady Hokage?"

"I need you to watch Naruto tomorrow, for when he will go into the store,  
and make sure that nobody does anything to him or the groceries he gets at  
all. Also don't tell anyone the contents of his grocery bag."

"Yes, Lady Hokage." Then he was gone.

Kent: OK so how was that for the first chapter. Special thanks to my absolutely wonderful beta BlackSandGaara cause without her I wouldn't have had a clue how to characterize Tsunade. I'm not all that good at characterizing females seeing as I have no experience being one. lol I'm hilarious lol

Again I will repeat that there is a poll out to see who will end up with Naruto. MUST be MALE. sniff PLEASE?!

The results of the poll thus far are as such:

Gaara- 24

Sasuke- 17

Gaara AND Sasuke- 1

Surprisingly Gaara is in the lead at the moment! He's awesome. But then again; so are the other male characters. I'm sorry to those of you who want Naruto as a Seme but for me he just screams Uke all around. lol

PS: Also I am a lazy bum so again; it will take me a while to update.


	3. Gross Incidents Of The Baby Kind

Kent: My wonderful readers (reviewers especially) I am extatic that you all enjoy my story and are giving me the confidence to continue. I know that it has been a while since I have updated although I cannot tell if this has been a shorter amount of time in this expanse than the last one. lol

Oh well. On with the show!

Or story in my case... lol

Chapter 2

Gross Incidents Of The Baby Kind

Moonlight shone down over the desolate streets. Running through the streets quietly, Naruto carried a small bag and gently hugged a sleeping Zaliya to his chest. The torn green shirt was abandoned inside a trashcan in the Hokage Tower and the blonde's own orange jacket adorned her small shoulders, covering her small body to keep the gentle breeze from making her too cold. Turning Naruto ran into an alley and made his way to his apartment complex on the other end.

"We're almost home, Zaliya. Not much longer." He whispered to the still air. Crickets once more became the only sound dancing across the village. The blonde quickly climbed the stairs and passed many doors, quietly traveling to his own. Unlocking it quietly he stepped into the homey living space that he had been in no longer than an hour prior. He closed the door and walked towards his bedroom only to realize that he had nowhere for the infant to sleep until he was able to get a crib. 'I'd let her sleep in the bed with me but I tend to move around a lot. So that wouldn't be safe for her.' He thought dejectedly. Only his bed, a dresser, and a small side-table with an alarm clock resting on it furnished his room.

Suddenly he had an idea. Now, he may not be the brightest ninja around, no that was Neji's job, but every now and then he could be useful. Carefully, he set Zaliya and the bag down onto his bed and opened his side-table drawer. He took out the few scrolls that occupied the space and placed them on top of his dresser. Grabbing his extra set of sheets, he walked back over to his side-table and placed them inside the open drawer. After he was satisfied he picked up the baby once more and laid her on top of the sheets.

"Sorry but this'll have to do for now, little one." He cooed. As if hearing him talking to her Zaliya opened her bright blue eyes. Almost immediately she started crying. "SHIT!" Naruto started panicking before he remembered that Tsunade's assistant, Shizune, gave him two bottles and a container of powder for the special 'baby milk' he'd need before he was able to go shopping the next morning.

Quickly, he stood up and started rummaging through the small sack lying on his bed until he found the desired items. He picked up the still crying infant and tried to calm her down slightly as he ran into the kitchen blessing Iruka for washing his dishes for him earlier that day. He measured some water in a pot and set it on the stove after setting the burner.

Walking over to the counter he started rocking the baby as he grabbed the container and poured a small scoop of the powder into the bottle. After hurriedly cleaning his mess and setting the bottle back down onto the counter, he walked back over to the stove and stuck his finger into the pot to test the temperature of the water.

Seeing as the water was slightly warm he removed his finger, held onto the handle of the pot moving it over to a cool burner after turning the one he just used off. Steadily he moved over to the counter once more, grabbed the bottle, and brought it over to the stove. Making sure he had a steady grip on the handle of the pot all the while precariously balancing the infant on his hip; he poured the water into the bottle and screwed the nipple securely on it. He placed one finger on the tip of the nipple shook up it's contents until they were completely blended.

Naruto then placed the bottle back on the counter once more and moved Zaliya until she was cradled gently in his arms. Grabbing the bottle he pressed the nipple into her crying mouth and she settled down sucking greedily.

"Now THAT'S more like it." The blonde smiled; happy for the newfound silence. "You know, little one, I really do need to get some sleep soon . . . er . . . Not that I need it, of course. I'M Konoha's greatest ninja! Believe IT!! Ahahaha!" He laughed nervously wishing his arms were free so he could scratch the back of his head as well. "Sorry 'bout that. I kinda got carried away there, I guess."

After a few minutes of silence he looked down at Zaliya noticing that the bottle was now empty, but she still kept on trying to drink out of it anyway. He took it gently and tossed it into the sink before heading off towards his bedroom. 'Now what is it I'm supposed to do after I feed her again? . . .' He looked around until he spotted the bag on his bed. 'Oh yeah, I gotta burp her.' Smiling and chuckling to himself a little he moved the infant until her head resting comfortably on his shoulder and started to gently pat her back. 'Now this isn't so bad. Ha! And Baa-chan said I couldn't do it . . .'

"Eww! Eww! Eww! Eww! Eww! Eww! So GROSS!! EEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" White liquid fell down his shoulder and slid across the back of his black shirt. "EEEWWWWWW!!"

"Yo!" Naruto stopped and slowly turned around.

Kent: Cliffhanger! I think... Sorry but I really couldn't think of any other way to continue with this chapter. I hope that these are getting longer each time though... lol I have noticed that a bunch of you are wondering where Kosuke and Nataku are...you'll find out who they are and what they have to do with Zaliya soon. lol

Poll Results:

Gaara- 38

Sasuke- 33

Gaara & Sasuke- 6

Neji- 7

Kiba- 3

Shikamaru- 1

Shino- 1

Kent: Ok so I guess that Gaara is still in the lead. BUT if Sasuke and Garra have a tie then BOTH will be with Naruto. Still you have more chapters to vote with so keep 'em up and I will add them in.

Now to answer reviews (I keep forgetting. Sorry.):

MazokuOnna: Thank you so much for the critique, I shall try to keep that in mind.

movethemhands: Ok, see you have a point here. Why WOULD Naruto want to care for a baby when it could compromise his dream of becoming a better ninja and Hokage someday? The answer is that when Naruto was an infant, wouldn't HE have had to go to a shelter? I believe so. When I started to think about it; I mean the villagers never liked him and treat him cruelly, right? Wouldn't the shelter have done that as well? Knowing that, I deduced that he wouldn't want something like that happening to this baby (however unlikely) so he wants to take care of her instead just to make sure that doesn't happen. Does that help any?

lily of the nile: I appreciate your trying to help or whatever but you need to remembeer that I am not only counting reviews but other cites as well and adding them together. Not only that but friends that live near me and people that just decided to e-mail me their reviews and choices also add into the mix. I'm not going to cheat around and add more to one character's total points. If I did that then I might as well just say that I have already chosen a pairing and I wouldn't have the poll to begin with. But I really don't know who to pair Naruto up with so I DID make the poll and my opinion isn't going to be added in because I really don't care who he ends up with as lond as it's a guy. lol

Wren Elessedil Dragonsbane: No, I am sorry but no matter how many times you put your choice into your review it will only be counted as one, unless of course you choose more than one character. lol BUT you can however vote once for every chapter (just in case you change your mind at some point. lol)

That's all for now and leave me some delicious reviews so I can be nourished. lol


	4. In Curiosity And Questions

Kent: OK guys, I am really REALLY sorry that this took so long to update. My ex broke my computer so I had to rewrite the whole thing again. Plus I had a crisis while rewriting it and had lost some of my inspiration. But I found it again and I will hopefully start updating sooner.

Chapter 3:  
In Curiosity And Questions

A silver haired man sat perched upon the windowsill overlooking the blonde's bedroom. A mask and hitai-ate covered three-quarters of his face to where only his right eye could be seen.

"Kakashi-sensei! Wha . . . What're you doin' here?" Naruto looked at the man in surprise, completely forgetting about the warm mess that covered his shoulder.

" Well, I was going to tell you about the mission we have tomorrow but then I heard you screaming in distress and decided that I should see what's wrong." His visible eye lingered on the baby for a moment before moving back up to his face.

"Oh well, I just finished feeding Zaliya and . . . wait. I was NOT SCREAMING in DISTRESS!!" Naruto carefully rocked the infant while he spoke to the older man in front of him. "Uh . . . Did you say 'mission'?"

"Zaliya, hmmm?" Kakashi looked at her and back to Naruto once again. He stepped fully into the room, sat down on the bed, and held out his arms expectantly.

"Erm . . . Kakashi-sensei, what're you-" 

"Give me the kid and change your shirt. It's disgusting." Naruto looked at him nervously, debating whether or not he should, before finally giving in and gently placing her in the jounin's arms. Kakashi took her gratefully and his right eye turned upward, a sign that he might have been smiling. The blonde grabbed another shirt and slipped it on after throwing the soiled one into corner, forming a brand new pile of dirty laundry. He walked back over to the man on his bed and sat down beside him. "Naruto, why-"

"Kakashi, do you know anyone named Kosuke?" Kakashi looked at the blonde in annoyance, for interrupting what was sure to be a wonderful interrogation, for a moment before replying.

"Kosuke is a pretty common name now days. Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, I was just wondering. It's not important really. It's just . . . I want . . . I need to find a guy named Kosuke." Naruto sighed and placed his head in his arms dejectedly as he waited for Kakashi to say something.

"Do you know what this Kosuke looks like?"

"No. I never actually saw him." Naruto sighed once more.

"Do you know anything? Anything at all?"

Naruto looked up at him. "I never saw him. How would I know anything about him?" 

"I'm just trying to figure this out. Besides, I need more information on this guy before I can find out who he is." Kakashi looked down at the infant in his arms and smiled. "She's cute, isn't she?" Naruto just smiled in response and nodded his head. "Does Lady Hokage-"

"Yes, the old hag knows." Kakashi narrowed his eye once again annoyed with the blonde's pension for interrupting him. "I'm gonna keep her, you know. At least until she finds a good home."

"Do you know what to do?"

"Not really. I'm gonna need help from someone but I can't think of who just yet."

"Why not Saku-"

"NO!! I need a more . . . mat . . mater. . . maternal, yeah that's it, a more maternal person to help. Besides, I don't wanna think bout how she'd feel bout this."

"Right. Then, why not Hinata? She seems pretty capable."

"But Hinata's weird, she always turns red and does that creepy thing with her fingers when I'm around. It's like she's flexing her fingers for an attack, to like . . . paralyze me or sumthin." Kakashi sweat-dropped at Naruto's overactive imagination.

"I don't even know Ino or TemTon or whatever her name is."

"TenTen."

"Yeah, her." Naruto smiled again in obvious embarrassment looking slightly away from his sensei. Kakashi just rolled his eyes and stared down at the little girl nestled in his arms. "If you wanna be near her you can't have that book with you."

Kakashi slouched slightly after hearing Naruto's words. "Remember that there is a mission briefing at precisely 0600 hours. I'll be off to go catch myself a dolphin in the meantime." He smirked at that list bit, placed the infant in her ready-made crib, and disappeared out the window.

"600 hours?" Naruto held up his fingers counting them carefully. "Wait. . . How long is that?!" 

Kent: I am trying to keep the characters from being OOC so please tell me if you think that they are and give me some hints on how to improve.

Now for the poll:

Gaara- 48

Sasuke- 48

Gaara & Sasuke- 12

Neji- 9

Kiba- 7

Shikamaru- 5

Shino- 3

Itachi- 6

Kakashi- 8

It seems that Sasuke is catching up with Gaara. I love both of them so I don't mind whoever gets Naruto. The votes for Kakashi and Itachi suprised me though. lol I didn't actually expect anyone to vote for them so this is a good change for me. It gets more people to vie for our little blonde dude.

Ok so just remember that I am lazy as I have previously stated in other chapters so it will (again) take a while to update. I am hopeing to have at least chapter four up by the Feb. 16. I know that is a ways from now but for those of you who have been following my story from the beginning (you know who you are) know that I have quite a bit of time between updates.

Again the poll is still up so anyone who wants to vote can and hopefully will. By this point though it seems to me as if it is going to be either Sasuke or Gaara seeing as everyone else is so far behind them. BUT for all of you who love the others I will have them be interested in Naruto at some point within the story.

Now if any of you have any ideas for the story I would be glad to find out what they are.

Until next time: Ja ne!


	5. Mission? Now?

Kent: Ok I got it here earlier than I thought!! Let's party!!

lol

Chapter 4:

Mission? Now?

Three hours. That is how much sleep Uzumaki Naruto got all night. Three hours, that's it. Said blonde looked in his lap at the infant sucking peacefully on a bottle of warm milk. According to Shizune, she should have slept for four hours before needing more food. To Naruto's dismay it was instead three hours and thirty-seven minutes.

After Kakashi had left Naruto laid down and began thinking of how everyone would react to seeing him with little Zaliya in his arms. He felt bad about lying to his sensei about Sakura. The real reason he didn't want her help was because she tended to get angry and violent at the drop of a hat and he didn't want to risk it. No matter how small that risk may be. He looked up when he heard knocking on his front door. It was still pretty early, about 5:30, and since people rarely came to his apartment he figured it was probably something important. He leaned over, grabbed a towel, and set it upon his shoulder before taking the bottle out of the infant's mouth and setting it on the side table. Carefully, he laid her head on the towel, stood up, and walked to the front door.

Naruto was surprised to open the door and see a man with scars on the side of his face and a high ponytail of dark brown hair on his doorstep.

"Nara-sama! What're you doin' here?" The man just looked at him and motioned him to follow. Naruto complied and began to pat Zaliya's back lightly in an attempt to make her burp. That small movement caught the man's eyes and he looked at him as though he had finally figured out a hard riddle. (Remember his talk with Tsunade in the 1st chapter.) After burping the infant, Naruto tossed the towel into a trash can right outside of a sushi restaurant, and continued following Shikamaru's father through town until they finally reached a large grocery store. By this time it had to be 6:15, at least Naruto figured. It was still too early for many of Konoha's citizens to be awake so he was surprised for the second time to hear his name being called. He looked over his shoulder and spotted a blond girl walking toward him, arm waving in greeting.

"Hey, Ino!" He called out to her smiling brightly.

"Naruto, what are yo-" she became silent once she noticed the once again sleeping infant he carried. "Kawaii!!" Naruto glared at the girl for her volume. "Oh, right. Sorry." She smiled sheepishly at him and looked at the baby again. "Can I hold it?"

"_Her _name is Zaliya, not _it_, and not now. She just went to sleep."

"Cherished one, how cute."

"Huh?"

"Her name, it means 'Cherished one'."

"It does? I didn't know that."

"What did you think it meant?"

This time Naruto looked embarrassed and mumbled his reply.

"What? I didn't hear you. Speak up a little would'ja."

"I said 'I named her that 'cause I thought it sounded cool." Ino glared at him briefly before softening her gaze.

"Well anyway, what are you doing here in the market? I thought Sakura said you guys had a mission today."

"No, Kakashi-sensei said it was in 600 hours."

"MORON!! That means 6 o'clock this morning! You were supposed to be there half an hour ago!" Her left eye began to twitch at his cluelessness.

"But I have to get food and diapers and-"

"I'll take care of it, now go!" She then leaned over and plucked the slumbering infant form Naruto's arms. "Here. My father got this a while back and I was planning on sharing it with Sakura but you'll need it." She reached into her skirt pocket, pulled out a small round piece of plastic, and pushed it into his ear. I have the other piece and will let you know if anything happens. If you need to talk to me just press the little button sticking out of it and speak. I'll hear you."

"But-"

"No 'buts'. Now GO!!" After saying that she bowed to her teammates father and stepped inside the store with Zaliya cradled gently in her arms.

"You heard the lady, you have a mission. So get to it." With his two cents said he walked away muttering about 'troublesome teenage drama' along the way.

Sighing dejectedly, Naruto dug his hands into his pockets and headed off toward the bridge. '˜I wonder when Ino got back.' He sighed once more. Ino, Asuma, and Chouji had been on a C-Rank mission for the last ten months and were supposed to be back two weeks prior but had gotten behind schedule for unknown reasons. Sakura was worried sick when she found out Ino's team hadn't gotten back on schedule. They had put aside their differences to train and become strong together so they would no longer hold their teams back.

Before the blond realized it he had already made it to the bridge. Standing there already were his teammates. Upon catching sight of them he smiled brightly and waved his arm above his head in greeting. "Hey Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme!"

The girl with pink hair turned to him and placed her hands on her hips. "You're late, Naruto!"

"Yeah . . . Sorry about that Sakura-chan. I was . . . busy and got a little side tracked." He raised an arm and rubbed the back of his head in an apologetic gesture. Feeling someone's eyes boring into the back of his head, Naruto turned around making eye contact with the pale boy with the black hair. The boy's onyx eyes stared at him with suspicion. "What is it, Sasuke-teme?"

Turning away, Sasuke replied with a tense 'Hn'. Within moments a silver haired jounin appeared in a puff of smoke. Glancing over at Naruto, he narrowed his eye slightly. Giving the blond a look, he turned to the other two. "I need to talk to Naruto for a moment. When we get back I will brief the three of you on today's mission." He motioned for him to follow and walked a short distance away.

Once out of hearing distance Kakashi stopped and faced Naruto. "Where is Zaliya? Is she ok?" It was quite apparent at that moment that the silver haired jounin was already attached to the infant he held for only minutes.

"She's fine. Don't worry. Ino has her and is going shopping for me" Naruto answered. In response his sensei looked at him questioningly. Naruto shrugged. "I had no choice. She just grabbed her and stuck this thing in my ear. She said she'll talk to me through it if something happens."

Kakashi visibly relaxed and sighed. "Naruto, you're a father now. You need to make sure that you only leave her with people you trust completely not to harm her. You also need to be a good role model so please . . . _try­_ to eat healthier from now on." The jounin then turned and walked back in the direction they came from.

Naruto looked down at his feet thinking about what his sensei just said. 'He's right. Ramen is the best food ever but still it ain't the healthiest . . . Actually I'm not really sure how good for me it is . . . Well, I can't promise anything but I'll at least try. For Zaliya' Looking up at the morning sky he sighed and took off towards his comrades.

Kent: Ok that is all for this chapter!!

Poll Results:

Gaara- 69

Sasuke- 67

Gaara & Sasuke- 28

Neji- 26

Kiba- 18

Shikamaru- 21

Shino- 6

Itachi- 12

Kakashi- 23

Kent: Look I get my reviews from many different sites. Not only that but I get them from friends as well. Also some people do not want other people to read their reviews to me so they e-mail them to me. I know how to count and just because you counted differently does not mean that I am not correct. If I get any more reviews telling me what the 'actual' score is the poll will be canceled.

Also SpaceQueenoftheWorld requested for me to write a side story for Kosuke and Nataku. If anyone else wants me to then I will. Just say the word.


	6. Teacher

Kent: It continues!! Bwahahahahahaha!

cough Ok Start.

Chapter 5:

Teacher

As Naruto exited the forest and came into view of his teammates standing on the bridge Kakashi spoke.

"Your mission today is a d-rank one and will continue for the remainder of this month. For this mission you three will be aiding some of the teachers back at the academy." The jounin watched Naruto lean against the railing on the bridge and looked at all three's faces before continuing. "You will each be assigned one teacher to aid and will NOT be working with each other unless they tell you otherwise." He sighed, "Although this mission is continuous, we will still meet here every morning before going to the academy. This is so I can see if you three are learning anything worthwhile."

The reaction to Kakashi's words definitely not unanimous.

The only female of the group stood in place contemplating the different things she could learn by being on the other side of the classroom, helping the teacher instead of being the one being taught.

The brunette seemed uncaring about the mission and only glared at the last member of his team.

The blonde, however, was not standing calmly or even continuing to lean on the railing. Instead he chose the third option: jumping up and down in excitement all the while chanting, 'I'm gonna see Iruka-sensei! I'm gonna go get ramen!'

"Sasuke, your assigned teacher is Takata Hotaru. Sakura, Umino Iruka. Naruto, Nigeru Taku. Any questions?" The silver haired jounin looked at his students and completely ignored the pout on the stuttering blonde's tanned face. "Good." And with a puff of smoke he was gone.

Naruto sighed dejectedly and turned to his two remaining teammates. He put on a big smile and lifeted his arm behind his head. "Umm . . . Sakura? Do you think that maybe-"

"No."

"But-"

"I said no. We were ASSIGNED teachers. I won't switch with you." The girl's jade eyes focused on the blonde shortly before closing. "Besides, I need to speak with someone before going to the academy." She huffed a little but made no move to leave.

"Ok. I gotta go and check on Za-I mean something real quick anyway so . . . BYE!" Naruto turned and headed back into the village.

A man with long red hair approached an open door and knocked lightly on the side to obtain the attention of the two inhabitants. They looked up almost immediately and ceased their conversation. One of them, a man with tan skin and a scar across the bridge of his noise spoke first. "Kosu-sama how may we help you?"

"Iruka-san, I believe he is here to speak with me." The other man's blue eyes sparkled in amusement when he glanced at the scowling man at the door.

"Oh! Yes of course! I'll leave you two alone then." Iruka stood up and bowed to the intruder politely. He then turned to the man beside him and smiled. "Thank you for your time, Taku-san. I enjoyed our conversation immensely." He smiled once more and quickly exited the classroom. Silence reigned freely until Taku could no longer take it.

"Come on in and close the door behind you." The redhead complied and looked straight at the other. "So what brings you to my workplace?" Taku smiled and began to run his fingers through his green ponytail.

"Someone found _it_."

The green haired man's eyes widened with shock. "What?! Already?! But it was only last night that we-"

"I know. Apparently, someone found it right after we left." He walked over to the other and wrapped his arms around the smaller man comfortingly.

"Do you think they'll find out it was us?" Taku leaned back into his partner's chest.

"No, but luckily for us, I am one of the few assigned to find out." The redhead smirked and kissed the other's forehead affectionately. "Besides, once _she_ comes it won't matter. All the proof against us would become invalid."

"Are you sure she's coming? If she sees us we'll surely be brought back there. I don't wanna go back." Tears formed in his blue eyes threatening to fall and slide down his cheeks. The other man just tightened his hold, his brown eyes narrowing slightly.

"She'll be here. I can feel it." The deep baritone of his voice calming the other. "The earliest she should be arriving is in about a month, two at the latest. Just try not to worry. I won't let anyone take us back." He then pulled away, whispered in his companions ear, and exited the room silently. Not a moment later a blonde boy strolled in the room grumbling about crazy blonde girls and perverted sensei's. The boy came to a halt in front of him and smiled.

"Hey . . . umm . . . I'm Uzumaki Naruto and . . . I . . . uh . . . I'm supposed to help you out or somethin'." Naruto laughed nervously.

"So you are the one here for me to order around, eh? Well as you should already know I am Negeru Taku." Taku chuckled lightly and patted the blonde on the head shortly. "You'll do." 'And here I was worried about this boy from what Iruka-san has told me.' Silence spread over the room in a thick blanket before Naruto could take it no longer.

"So . . . uh . . . How long have you been teaching here? . . . I mean, well . . . I haven't ever seen you around here before and well . . . I guess . . ." The blonde boy bit his lower lip nervously, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Getting to know each other, eh? Well, I've only been teaching here for two years. You probably never saw me because I was transferred into Konoha from Iwa only four years ago."

Naruto was still for a few moments before a big goofy smile broke across his face and made him look like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. 'I was expecting a scary looking kid to house the Kyuubi. I'm glad I was wrong. But from what I've heard he needs someone to be with' In response to his thoughts Taku just smiled and couldn't help but think back to what the redhead said right before he left.

"Remember, I'll always be there to protect you, Nataku-kun." 'Just like _him_'

Kent: Ok guys if you can't figure out who Taku and Kosu are yet then I am terribly terribly surprised. I love the both of them though so . . . yeah. lol

Poll Results:

Gaara- 81

Sasuke- 83

Gaara & Sasuke- 47

Kakashi- 25

Kakashi Garra & Sasuke- 1 (0.o Threesome! lol)

Neji- 29

Kiba- 22

Shikamaru- 28

Shino- 11

Itachi- 18

Shikaku- 1 (lol I never thought this would happen! I am so happy! cries)

Kent:My best friend Dawn is going to write a HPNaruto crossover so I'll let you guys know what it's called and where to find it when she finally posts. Oh and she ordered me to put this on here. Lol

Dawn: . . . No I didn't. I simply asked you while you were sleeping and made you promise that you would before I woke you up and you came to your senses. 

Kent: . . . Ok . . . umm I keep getting asked like how old Naruto and them are or what part in the series this takes place in but I'm not actually entirely sure . . .

Dawn: Don't listen to the lazy bum. It takes place about a year after Sasuke was brought back to the village.

Kent: I never decided on that!! . . . It was just a thought.

Dawn: Moron.

Kent: Don't be rude! Ugh! I feel so _insulted_.

Dawn: Good.

Kent: sulks in corner

Dawn: Oi Kent's fans!! You actually may start seeing me more often cause I am . . . Ok, so I have no reason but still.  I promise to try and get this dude pokes Kent with stick to update more regularly and more often but I can't promise anything.

Kent: Ow!! You whore! Stop poking me! That thing is freaking sharp! straightens up Anyway, I have started on the side story about Kosuke and Nataku so just tell me if you guys want it to be a one shot or multi-chaptered so I know what to do. Either way it won't be very short.

Both: Review Please!!


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